Humans are driven to explore the unknown, discover new worlds, push the boundaries of our scientific and technical limits, and then push further. The intangible desire to explore and challenge the boundaries of what we know and where we have been has provided benefits to our society for centuries.
Human space exploration helps to address fundamental questions about our place in the Universe and the history of our solar system. Curiosity and exploration are vital to the human spirit and accepting the challenge of going deeper into space will invite the citizens of the world today and the generations of tomorrow to join NASA on this exciting journey.
Their will eventually come a day when humans will need to leave Earth due to overcrowding and pollution. Where are we going to go? Well the most likely place is to a planet that is the most “Earth like”. Which planet is that? MARS! By studying the conditions on MARS, we will be able to answer question like: Can humans walk or breath on MARS? Is it possible to colonize and build on the Martian surface? Are the temperatures on MARS too hot or cold for Humans? To answer these questions NASA has sent several Robots to MARS to study the planet and determine what kind of conditions exist.
What do we know about MARS????
Mars is a small rocky body once thought to be very Earth like. Like the other terrestrial rocky planets—Mercury, Venus, and Earth—its surface has been changed by volcanic, impacts from other bodies, movements of its crust, and atmospheric effects such as dust storms. Like Earth, Mars has Polar Ice caps and an atmosphere of gases. However, Mar's atmosphere does not contain oxygen, there fore we would not be able to breath on Mars. Mar's atmosphere is very thin and made up of CO2, carbon dioxide. The polar ice caps on Mars grow and recede(shrink) with the change of seasons; areas of layered soils near the Martian poles suggest that the planet's climate has changed more than once, perhaps caused by a regular change in the planet's orbit. Mars has two moons Phobos and Deimos--these moons are really captured asteroids that strayed to close to MARS gravitational pull. Valles Marineris is the largest canyon in the solar system, stretching 4,000 kilometers across the planet’s surface. If you look at a picture of Mars taken from a telescope, you will see the giant crack that is Valles Marineris--roughly the entire length of the United States, west coast to
east coast. The Borealis Basin (flat area) makes up 40% of the planet’s surface, taking up almost the entire northern hemisphere was once the site of a massive impact during the formation of solar system . Mars is covered by craters from objects like asteroids and meteorites hitting the planet. Today, 43,000 such craters have been found and that only includes the large ones! The dust storms on Mars are larger than on any other planet in the solar system. Some dust storms on Mars can blanket almost the entire planet in just a few days. Mars is about 2/3 two third the size of Earth; in other words, if Earth was the size of baseball, Mars would be the size of golf ball.
Scientists believe that 3.5 billion years ago, Mars experienced the largest known floods in the solar system. This water may even have pooled into lakes or shallow oceans. But where did the ancient floodwater come from, how long did it last, and where did it go? Water is also believed to be a central ingredient for the initiation of life; the evidence of past or present water on Mars is expected to hold clues about past or present life on Mars, as well as the potential for life elsewhere in the universe. And, before humans can safely go to Mars, we need to know much more about the planet's environment, including the availability of resources such as water. NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft suggest that underground reserves of water may break through the surface as springs. The answers may lie deep beneath Mars's red soil.
What are some of the dangers humans would while traveling to MARS?????
Humans may soon be on their way to Mars. But human safety is paramount in space missions. Depending on its orbit, Mars can be 500 times farther from Earth than the moon. It would take the fastest spacecraft about 3 years to get to Mars and back. Traveling such a long distance poses health problems never faced before. Being weightless for the entire mission would cause degeneration of muscles, bones, and the heart. And without a vigorous exercise program, an astronaut would likely experience heart problems because his or her heart would become too weak to pump blood upon returning to Earth and its gravitation. Another issue that must be addressed is the huge amount of radiation exposure that occurs outside the atmosphere.
Space travel is no walk in the park. If you think being an astronaut is fun and glamorous, you might want to read up on all the side effects below. Living and working in zero gravity plays havoc on all parts of your body, including your muscular, skeletal and vestibular (balance) systems. On top of that, NASA has identified 442 medical conditions that could require emergency attention during long-term missions. Now do you still want to be an astronaut? A stomach-churning experience
One of the most common - and unpleasant - effects of micro-gravity is space motion sickness, caused when the brain and inner ear receive mixed signals. Between 40 to 50% of astronauts experience this. On Earth, we can tell which way is up and which way is down because gravity tells us so. Sensors in the inner ear feel this gravitational pull and send information to the brain about our body's orientation. In space there is no gravitational force telling the inner ear which way is 'up' and 'down'. So while our eyes can certainly see a ceiling and floor in the spacecraft, our brains cannot register this. This causes nausea and dizziness. Some astronauts experience headaches and vertigo. Fortunately, symptoms subside within the first few days of travel and common motion sickness medicine is just as effective in space. Puffy face and bird legs
Two thirds of our bodies are made up of fluids. On Earth, gravity pulls most of this towards our legs. In zero gravity, fluids naturally travel upwards into our face and head, causing them to look swollen. This gives astronauts 'puffy face syndrome'. The extra fluid in the head may lead to blocked noses and sinuses but once astronauts are back on Earth, they return to their normal appearance. This fluid shift can result in the loss of about a liter of fluid in each leg, creating what some call 'Bird Legs'. Under the ray gun
We are all exposed to radiation, whether it's long flights over the ocean, or, just from everyday radiation exposure in the air. However, astronauts are exposed to 10 times as much radiation - and that's just in low Earth orbit. In deep space, astronauts can be exposed to even higher doses. During solar storms, a single dose of radiation could be equivalent to several hundred chest x-rays. Therefore it's essential that all spacecrafts have designated storm shelters because large amounts of radiation can cause severe damage by altering DNA in the genes causing cancer and other related sicknesses. Exercise, exercise, exercise
In zero gravity, muscles do not have to do as much to move around. If astronauts don't work hard to counter this, they will face severe muscle loss. It's exactly the same as lying in bed for months on end - if you tried to get up and move around afterwards, you'd find that your legs were very weak. The same applies to bones. Bones lose calcium and strength in space. In effect, osteoporosis sets in. Astronauts risk losing 2% of their bone mass for every month spent in zero gravity. To reduce muscle and bone loss, astronauts have to exercise for two or more hours every day. It's not just a matter of running on a treadmill or doing some sit ups - odd looking contraptions have been designed to make exercising in zero gravity effective. Coming home
The problems don't end once astronauts return home. In fact, most astronauts have more trouble re-adapting to Earth's gravity than adapting to microgravity in orbit. Their muscles and bones have weakened, making it difficult to walk. The heart has to recondition itself to pump blood harder to overcome gravity. In April 2004, astronauts on the Russian Soyuz mission had to be helped out of the spacecraft by Russian space rescue service staff and carried away into waiting helicopters after landing. Astronauts Michael Foale and Alexander Kalery had been in orbit for six months. Space travel is certainly an adventure, but not an easy one. A trip to Mars would be the adventure of a lifetime. Just ask the 78,000-plus people who signed up to move there, as part of Mars One’s hypothetical colonization project. But it would also be really, really unpleasant. And we’re not just talking about the general annoyance of spending a year-long voyage huddled in a tiny capsule with all kinds of strangers whose every irritating habit would play out thousands upon thousands of times.
Why Explore Mars??????
For thousands of years, people have gazed into the night sky and wondered about the planet Mars. It was an object of particular fascination for ancient astronomers who looked to the heavens for guidance about the past and the future. When they first noticed the fiery red planet, they thought it was a star. But as they continued to study the sky, they discovered that stars appear in fixed patterns and traveled across the sky with predictable path and regularity. Mars, however, and the other "wandering stars" behaved differently. After moving in the same direction for many months, Mars began to move backwards. This apparent backwards movement is how ancient astronomers first discovered the planet.
Speaking at Kennedy Space Center last month, President Obama tried to reassure critics that the administration’s new, scaled-back plans for NASA won’t constitute a deathblow for manned space exploration. “By the mid-2030s, I believe we can send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely to Earth,” Obama said. “And a landing on Mars will follow. And I expect to be around to see it.” Critics such as Dr. Robert Zubrin identify a marked difference in tone between this speech and President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 “We choose to go to the moon” speech. Zubrin is the founder of the Mars Society, an international association committed to furthering the goal of exploration and settlement of Mars.
For Dr. Adrian Brown, a SETI planetary scientist searching for extraterrestrial intelligence, the most obvious benefit of Mars exploration is the advancement of science. “In trying to reach out to the next frontier, we always have to reach out to the limits of our technology,” Brown says. “Just consider the Age of Discovery. We wouldn’t have invented such precise timekeeping and navigational technology if we didn’t need to in order to cross huge expanses of ocean to reach frontiers in Asia, Africa and the New World.” In other words, to satisfy our human thirst for exploration, we’ll have to push technology even further. In the same way that the 20th century space race gave us such innovations as long-distance telecommunications and water filters, the technologies we develop for Mars will affect life on Earth.
In addition, the exploration and eventual colonization of Mars would give humanity the foothold we need to spread to other worlds — a move that cosmologists such as Stephen Hawking identify as a crucial step in the long-term survival of the human race. The red planet is far more than just a catalyst for scientific change or an interplanetary base camp. Mars, says Zubrin, is essentially the "KEY" for determining the prevalence and diversity of life in the universe. After all, Mars once boasted liquid water in great abundance — and water is a crucial component for life. According to Zubrin, if life is indeed a natural, chemical development wherever liquid water, reasonable temperatures and various minerals occur, then why shouldn’t it appear on Mars?
“If we can go to Mars and find evidence of past life, then we will have proven that the development of life from chemistry is a general phenomenon in the universe,” Zubrin says. In other words, life is more common and prevalent than we think. Life on Mars, however, won't come in the form of a typical Hollywood space Alien; if life on Mars is found, it will most likely be in the form of primitive (old) microscopic bacteria forms of life. Such a discovery would change the way we look at the night sky. Every exoplanet (planet in another Solar System) that is not too close or not too far from the central star would be a potential hot spot for extraterrestrial life.
“If life will develop wherever it has a decent planet, it means that the universe is filled with life,” Zubrin says, “And if life is everywhere, it means intelligence is everywhere. It means we’re living in an inhabited universe. This is something that thinking men and women have wondered about for thousands of years, and we can find out the answer to this if by going to Mars.” Wouldn't it be nice to know we are not alone?
We live on a planet that is overrun with life and we look up at the night sky and wonder if there is anywhere else in the universe that is alive. Mars, our next-door neighbor, is tantalizingly similar to the earth in many ways, and so we want to know if life ever arose there. Were the conditions ever right? And if so, what happened? Did life arise and die out, leaving telltale signatures in the ancient rocks, or did life miss its chance on Mars? Is it difficult for life to arise if the conditions are just right, or is it commonplace?
As space exploration continues, additional pieces of the Mars puzzle will fall into place. Yet some people question whether it is worthwhile to study Mars at all. Space missions are extremely expensive, costing billions of dollars every year, but scientists are convinced that Mars exploration is crucial and must continue. That is because Mars is quite similar to Earth, and about 4 billion years ago, when the two planets were formed, they may have been almost identical. Geologists believe there was a time when Mars had a warmer and wetter climate, vast quantities of surface water, and an atmosphere that was much like Earth's. Over the course of its history, however, Mars has undergone such drastic changes that it looks as though it is caught in the grip of a global ice age. Today, the planet's surface is dry and lifeless, its atmosphere is unfit for human life, and its average daily temperature is more bone-chilling than even the coldest place on Earth. What caused these drastic changes? And is Earth destined for the same fate? By continuing to explore Mars, scientists can gain a much greater understanding of the red planet, as well as insight into what the future may hold for Earth. Mars has always been, and continues to be, a planet shrouded in mystery and intrigue. No one knows with any certainty what future exploration will reveal. But with each new mission, and each piece of knowledge that is gained, Mars becomes even more compelling for those who are determined to uncover its secrets.
But even as excitement builds, some wonder: Is Mars exploration a good investment? It certainly doesn't come cheap. It's hard to calculate a total price tag, but over the 48 years that NASA has been launching missions to Mars, Americans have spent a significant sum. The Viking missions alone cost nearly $1 billion - in 1970s dollars. The twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity cost a total of about $1 billion to build and operate as well. Curiosity, as the Mars Science Laboratory rover is known, is over budget at $2.5 billion. Some in the federal government have suggested it's time to roll back the spending. President Barack Obama's fiscal plan for 2013 would cut NASA's funds for Mars exploration from $587 million to $360 million. Proponents insist Mars science is vital for the U.S. More visits to our next-door neighbor could answer lingering questions about Earth's history, reinforce U.S. prestige and get more children interested in science.
It also could bring humanity closer to answering the ultimate question: Are we alone in the universe?
What is MARS Rover and what have they discovered????? The FIRST MARS Rover Mission: SPIRIT and OPPORTUNITY Mars Rover is an automated Robotic vehicle which propels across the surface of the planet Mars. In 2004, NASA began MER or Mars Exploration Rover Mission by sending two robots, SPIRIT and OPPORTUNITY to explore the surface of MARS. The robotic rovers Spirit and Opportunity arrived on Mars in January 2004 to search for clues of past water activity. They were designed to last three months. The solar panels that powered SPIRIT and OPPORTUNITY robots far exceeded anyone's expectations. Spirit kept chugging for more than six years on off solar energy, finally ceasing communications with Earth in March 2010; Opportunity is still going strong. Part of NASA's long-term Mars Exploration Program, the mission has succeeded well beyond the hopes of its creators. Designed to last 90 martian days (a martian day, called a sol, is 24 hours and 39 minutes), the two robot geologists surprised everyone by surviving for many years. And they've beamed back amazing data, including hundreds of thousands of images, many of which include signs that water once flowed on the red planet. Sadly, though, no communication has been received from Spirit since March 2010.
Rolling along on six wheels, these golf-cart-sized rovers can travel more than 300 feet (100 m or length of a football field) a day—and on occasion have gone considerably farther. Navigational and hazard-avoidance cameras help the rovers make their way around. Like all good field geologists, the rovers have excellent tool kits with which to conduct "hands-on" investigations. These tools and other high-tech instruments help the rovers determine the mineral composition of a rock. In turn, scientists back on Earth use that information to study how the rock was formed and if water played a role in its formation. Even with the solar panels fully operational, though, no one expected the rovers to survive a martian winter—after all, winter on Mars offers precious little sun. Ingenious engineers came up with the idea of parking the rovers on hills, their panels angled to catch what little sunlight was available.
TOOLS and INSTRUMENTS Cameras
Each rover is equipped with a Pancam (short for Panoramic Camera), and each Pancam (contains two digital cameras. Set 30 cm (11.8") apart, the cameras function like left and right "eyes," so we're getting back breathtaking, 360-degree stereo color panoramas from each MER. RAT
When you picture a geologist out in the field doing research, the one tool that always comes to mind is the trusty hammer. Geologists need to study rocks that have not been exposed to the changing forces of weather. By comparing the internal, untouched rock with its weathered surface, a geologist can often determine the processes the rock has undergone. Appropriately, geologists wanted a tool onboard the MER that could expose fresh, unspoiled rock below the weathered surfaces of samples. A hammer was not accurate or practical for a machine to use, so they invented a better tool: the RAT. No, this is not a rodent. RAT stands for Rock Abrasion Tool. Mounted on a flexible robotic arm, and used to study martian rock and minerals, the RAT grinds away the surface of a rock with two rotating diamond-tipped grinders. The RAT can create holes 45 mm (about 2") in diameter and 5 mm (1/5") deep. It takes about two hours if the rock is tough volcanic basalt, less if the rock is softer. Once fresh rock is exposed, other instruments mounted on the robotic arm can examine and contrast fresh versus weathered material. Microscopic Imager (MI)
You'd never think of sending a geologist out without a hammer. But the other the geologist needs is a magnifying glass for examining the detailed structure of the freshly cleaved stone. The MER is no different. It, too, has a magnifying glass. It's called the Microscopic Imager, or MI, and each rover has one and is mounted on the robotic arm. This magnifying glass, like RAT is used to examine rock and minerals in greater detail with which places the MI in contact with the rock surface to take pictures.
As of now the Rover Robots have exceeded their goal: They've provided indisputable proof that water once flowed on Mars. Shortly after it landed, Opportunity found ripple marks and layered bedrock, evidence of a shallow, ancient sea. These robots have also made many other unique and important discoveries. Spectrometer
The red planet is red for a reason. Scientists believe that Mars is an iron-rich world, and the familiar reddish color comes from iron rust. The spectrometer allows scientists to determine what chemicals make up the rock or mineral without having to take the rock or mineral to a fancy laboratory. In other words, it tells scientists what chemicals make up the rocks and minerals on Mars, a very important tool for determining if water once ever existed on mars.
DISCOVERIES Shortly after landing on the Red Planet, Spirit looked homeward, snapping the first-ever picture of Earth taken from the surface of another planet. While the photo is not as famous as the "Earthrise" image snapped by the Apollo 8 astronauts, it is historic in its own right. In 2005, Spirit managed to film a bevy of dust devils (mini tornadoes) twisting across the Martian landscape. The clip gave scientists a rare glimpse into one of the few active processes still shaping the surface of Mars today.
Among their many firsts, the rovers photographed Earth-like clouds in the Martian sky for the first time from the planet's surface. During its exploration of Mars in 2005, Opportunity stumbled across a basketball-sized rock made of iron and nickel. It was the first meteorite ever discovered on another world. (Opportunity has since discovered a number of others.)
Spirit and Opportunity both discovered plenty of signs that liquid water once flowed across or percolated through the Martian surface long ago. Opportunity found some of the most convincing evidence late in 2011 — a thin, bright white vein of gypsum mineral that was deposited by liquid water billions of years ago along the rim of Endeavour Crater. Gypsum is a mineral that only forms in the presence of water. You might be more familiar with gypsum than you think; gypsum is the white chalky mineral often left behind on faucets and shower heads.This mineral is almost certainly gypsum that was deposited by liquid water billions of years ago, researchers said. "This is the single most powerful piece of evidence for liquid water at Mars that has been discovered by the Opportunity rover," Steve Squyres of Cornell.
In December 2012, mission scientists announced that Opportunity was exploring a special spot on the rim of Endeavour Crater. The area, known as Matijevic Hill, contains clay minerals, implying that the area was exposed to relatively neutral (as opposed to harshly acidic or basic) water long ago. "This is our first glimpse ever at conditions on ancient Mars that clearly show us a chemistry that would've been suitable for life at the Opportunity site," mission principal investigator Steve Squyres, of Cornell University, said of the discovery.
In 2007, Spirit's crippled right front wheel dug a trench in the dirt of Gusev Crater, revealing bright white deposits of pure silica. On Earth, such deposits can only be created by hot water reacting with rocks, so scientists think Spirit stumbled onto evidence of an ancient hydrothermal vent (under ground water system) like those found in the United States' Yellowstone National Park where bacteria and other primitive microorganisms live and thrive. This discovery showed that at least some parts of Mars once had two key ingredients necessary for life as we know it: liquid water and an energy source. The site of these proposed vents could possibly contain preserved traces of ancient Martian life, scientists say. That assumes, of course, that life might once have existed on Mars. No firm evidence for that idea has ever been found, however.Check out the panoramic view below provided by the Mars Rover Robot:
The SECOND MARS Rover Mission: CURIOSITY
The rover launched into space from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Nov. 26, 2011, and landed on Mars on Aug. 5, 2012. Since then, Curiosity has been keeping busy touching, scooping, sifting, cleaning, and analyzing rocks and dirt that have provided scientists with clues about Mars' past. The main goal of the two-year mission was to determine whether the planet once had an environment suitable for life. Curiosity confirmed that to be true after beaming back data including 70,000 images to NASA's researchers. About the size of a small SUV car, Curiosity is truly a sophisticated mobile laboratory with the most advanced instruments ever sent to Mars. TOOLS and INSTRUMENTS
Curiosity sports a number of familiar tools that the first ROVER mission had such as a variety of cameras and a robotic arm. But it’s called a sciencelaboratory because, unlike its predecessors, it can analyze the rock and mineral samples it collects to determine what they are made of, as well as atmospheric samples, using on board test instruments. For example, one instrument (which uses X-ray diffraction and fluorescence) will identify and quantify the minerals in the rock and soil samples. To identify possible signs of primitive life, a combination of three instruments (a quadrupole mass spectrometer, a gas chromatograph, and a tunable laser spectrometer) can identify organic chemicals and compounds including carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. Humans and all life are made of organic (carbon and hydrogen) compounds, these instruments will hopefully confirm the presence of organic "life" material on Mars. Cameras The cameras on board the Curiosity rover are the mission scientists’ “eyes” on Mars. Without them, mission scientists would be blind. Cameras show us where the rover is, where it is going, and where it has been. They are necessary to navigate the rover’s trek along the surface, helping determine which sites to visit along the way. Just like the Oppurtunity adn SPIRIT Rovers, CURIOSITY Rover has camera to take video and panoramic pictures of the Martian surface. Mahli To a human geologist, the hand lens magnifying glass lens is one of the most important tools to have in the field. Small enough to be carried around the neck, a hand lens helps geologists identify minerals in rocks. The Mars Hand Lens Imager, or MAHLI, provides earthbound scientists with close-up views of the minerals, textures, and structures in Martian rocks and the surface layer of rocky debris and dust. SpectrometersJust like the older Rover Robots SPIRIT and OPPORTUNITY, CURIOSITY uses a couple on board spectrometers that make up the robot rover’s nose. The spectrometers “sniff out” the chemical composition of rocks and minerals in order to determine what they are made of. RADThe Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) is one of the first instruments sent to Mars specifically to prepare for future human exploration. The size of a small toaster or six-pack of soda, RAD measures and identifies all high-energy radiation on the Martian surface such as protons, energetic ions of various elements, neutrons, and gamma rays. This includes not only direct radiation from space, but also secondary radiation produced by the interaction of space radiation with the Martian atmosphere and surface rocks and soils. If Humans go to Mars, they will be exposed to high levels of radiation and scientists would like to know just how much before we send humans to Mars. Using RAD, we will know just how much radiation the Mars surface is exposed to.Plutonium Power SourceUnlike the older Robots SPIRIT and OPPORTUNITY which ran on solar power, the new Curiosity MARS ROVER ROBOT is much larger and runs on plutonium. Curiosity Robot is about the size of a car and needs a much more powerful energy source. Plutonium is a radioactive element, which means that its atomic nuclei spontaneously disintegrate, releasing radiation in a process called radioactivity or radioactive decay. The power supply is designed to last a minimum of a martian year, which is 687 earth days. With no worries about dust obscuring solar panels or having to practically hibernate during the martian winter when sunlight is weak (which happened to earlier rovers), Curiosity will be free to explore all year long and at a wide range of latitudes and altitudes.
DISCOVERIES
After Landing in 2012, MARS ROVER Robot CURIOSITY has made some important discoveries. Discovery of an ancient, habitable environment
At Yellowknife Bay, the rover found evidence that an intermittent lake was once present, with fresh water and other chemical ingredients that life requires. The finding of clay minerals, says Gellert, means water flowed in the area at some point in Martian history. Where there is water, their may be life. Evidence of an ancient stream bed
Curiosity found a rock called a conglomerate—made up of many rounded, small pebbles cemented together. This type of rock forms on Earth when water flows about knee deep. "These show that for an extended time a stream must have been flowing to form these features," said Gellert. Radiation measurements to aid human exploration
Curiosity measured the natural cosmic and solar radiation on its journey from Earth to Mars. "By measuring the radiation from within a spacecraft capsule, Curiosity was in the same environment that human explorers to Mars will face," said Vasavada. Based on some of the initial findings from the rover's instruments, it turns out that the radiation arriving from both interstellar space and the sun will pose a significant challenge for future Mars astronauts. In just the nine-month voyage to the red planet, Curiosity measured and absorbed more radiation than NASA astronauts are allowed to be exposed to over their entire career; creating a big problem for future manned astronaut missions to Mars. As a result of this finding astronauts visiting Mars will require special suits to protect them from the lethal doses of radiation on mars. Lack of methane in Mars' atmosphere
Most form of life give off methane as a byproduct. If their is currently life on Mars, the presence of the chemical methane would indicate that thier is in fact currently primitive life on Mars. In the last few years, both Earth-based telescopes and Mars orbiters have seemed to detect methane on Mars—a gas that could be a result of present-day biological activity(life) or signify other non-biological processes. But Curiosity's experiments have so far detected very little methane within Gale crater—in fact, some 600 times less than the amount in Earth's atmosphere. So while it appears that the conditions on ancient Mars may have been conducive to life at one point, today's environment may just be too harsh for life to exist. Diversity of rocks in Gale crater
Before even getting to the ultimate destination of Mount Sharp, scientists were surprised that Curiosity found diverse types of rocks—from volcanic to mudstones to rocks with cracks filled with mineral veins. Each of these rock types tell the story of a different environment at some point in Mars' past. Scientists expect this rich diversity to increase even more when Curiosity gets to the multi-layered Mount Sharp. "With one habitable environment in the bag, our job becomes to place it in the context of the other geology within Gale crater in order to understand where it fits into the overall evolution of this region of Mars, and maybe even the planet as a whole," said Vasavad. "Ultimately, we'd love to make a fundamental contribution to the understanding of how Mars' climate changed dramatically in its early history."
Finish Early????? Program the MARS ROVER ROBOT below and try to find the rock "Yogi"
If you can find the rock "Yogi" with you8r Mars Robot Rover, please notify your teacher and receive a bonus treat!!!!!!!
Introduction
Human space exploration helps to address fundamental questions about our place in the Universe and the history of our solar system. Curiosity and exploration are vital to the human spirit and accepting the challenge of going deeper into space will invite the citizens of the world today and the generations of tomorrow to join NASA on this exciting journey.
Their will eventually come a day when humans will need to leave Earth due to overcrowding and pollution. Where are we going to go? Well the most likely place is to a planet that is the most “Earth like”. Which planet is that? MARS! By studying the conditions on MARS, we will be able to answer question like: Can humans walk or breath on MARS? Is it possible to colonize and build on the Martian surface? Are the temperatures on MARS too hot or cold for Humans? To answer these questions NASA has sent several Robots to MARS to study the planet and determine what kind of conditions exist.
What do we know about MARS????
Mars is a small rocky body once thought to be very Earth like. Like the other terrestrial rocky planets—Mercury, Venus, and Earth—its surface has been changed by volcanic, impacts from other bodies, movements of its crust, and atmospheric effects such as dust storms. Like Earth, Mars has Polar Ice caps and an atmosphere of gases. However, Mar's atmosphere does not contain oxygen, there fore we would not be able to breath on Mars. Mar's atmosphere is very thin and made up of CO2, carbon dioxide. The polar ice caps on Mars grow and recede(shrink) with the change of seasons; areas of layered soils near the Martian poles suggest that the planet's climate has changed more than once, perhaps caused by a regular change in the planet's orbit. Mars has two moons Phobos and Deimos--these moons are really captured asteroids that strayed to close to MARS gravitational pull. Valles Marineris is the largest canyon in the solar system, stretching 4,000 kilometers across the planet’s surface. If you look at a picture of Mars taken from a telescope, you will see the giant crack that is Valles Marineris--roughly the entire length of the United States, west coast to
east coast. The Borealis Basin (flat area) makes up 40% of the planet’s surface, taking up almost the entire northern hemisphere was once the site of a massive impact during the formation of solar system . Mars is covered by craters from objects like asteroids and meteorites hitting the planet. Today, 43,000 such craters have been found and that only includes the large ones! The dust storms on Mars are larger than on any other planet in the solar system. Some dust storms on Mars can blanket almost the entire planet in just a few days. Mars is about 2/3 two third the size of Earth; in other words, if Earth was the size of baseball, Mars would be the size of golf ball.
Scientists believe that 3.5 billion years ago, Mars experienced the largest known floods in the solar system. This water may even have pooled into lakes or shallow oceans. But where did the ancient floodwater come from, how long did it last, and where did it go? Water is also believed to be a central ingredient for the initiation of life; the evidence of past or present water on Mars is expected to hold clues about past or present life on Mars, as well as the potential for life elsewhere in the universe. And, before humans can safely go to Mars, we need to know much more about the planet's environment, including the availability of resources such as water. NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft suggest that underground reserves of water may break through the surface as springs. The answers may lie deep beneath Mars's red soil.
What are some of the dangers humans would while traveling to MARS?????
Humans may soon be on their way to Mars. But human safety is paramount in space missions. Depending on its orbit, Mars can be 500 times farther from Earth than the moon. It would take the fastest spacecraft about 3 years to get to Mars and back. Traveling such a long distance poses health problems never faced before. Being weightless for the entire mission would cause degeneration of muscles, bones, and the heart. And without a vigorous exercise program, an astronaut would likely experience heart problems because his or her heart would become too weak to pump blood upon returning to Earth and its gravitation. Another issue that must be addressed is the huge amount of radiation exposure that occurs outside the atmosphere.Space travel is no walk in the park. If you think being an astronaut is fun and glamorous, you might want to read up on all the side effects below. Living and working in zero gravity plays havoc on all parts of your body, including your muscular, skeletal and vestibular (balance) systems. On top of that, NASA has identified 442 medical conditions that could require emergency attention during long-term missions. Now do you still want to be an astronaut?
A stomach-churning experience
One of the most common - and unpleasant - effects of micro-gravity is space motion sickness, caused when the brain and inner ear receive mixed signals. Between 40 to 50% of astronauts experience this.
Puffy face and bird legs
Two thirds of our bodies are made up of fluids. On Earth, gravity pulls most of this towards our legs. In zero gravity, fluids naturally travel upwards into our face and head, causing them to look swollen. This gives astronauts 'puffy face syndrome'. The extra fluid in the head may lead to blocked noses and sinuses but once astronauts are back on Earth, they return to their normal appearance. This fluid shift can result in the loss of about a liter of fluid in each leg, creating what some call 'Bird Legs'.
Under the ray gun
We are all exposed to radiation, whether it's long flights over the ocean, or, just from everyday radiation exposure in the air. However, astronauts are exposed to 10 times as much radiation - and that's just in low Earth orbit. In deep space, astronauts can be exposed to even higher doses. During solar storms, a single dose of radiation could be equivalent to several hundred chest x-rays. Therefore it's essential that all spacecrafts have designated storm shelters because large amounts of radiation can cause severe damage by altering DNA in the genes causing cancer and other related sicknesses.
Exercise, exercise, exercise
In zero gravity, muscles do not have to do as much to move around. If astronauts don't work hard to counter this, they will face severe muscle loss. It's exactly the same as lying in bed for months on end - if you tried to get up and move around afterwards, you'd find that your legs were very weak. The same applies to bones. Bones lose calcium and strength in space. In effect, osteoporosis sets in. Astronauts risk losing 2% of their bone mass for every month spent in zero gravity.
Coming home
The problems don't end once astronauts return home. In fact, most astronauts have more trouble re-adapting to Earth's gravity than adapting to microgravity in orbit. Their muscles and bones have weakened, making it difficult to walk. The heart has to recondition itself to pump blood harder to overcome gravity. In April 2004, astronauts on the Russian Soyuz mission had to be helped out of the spacecraft by Russian space rescue service staff and carried away into waiting helicopters after landing. Astronauts Michael Foale and Alexander Kalery had been in orbit for six months. Space travel is certainly an adventure, but not an easy one. A trip to Mars would be the adventure of a lifetime. Just ask the 78,000-plus people who signed up to move there, as part of Mars One’s hypothetical colonization project. But it would also be really, really unpleasant. And we’re not just talking about the general annoyance of spending a year-long voyage huddled in a tiny capsule with all kinds of strangers whose every irritating habit would play out thousands upon thousands of times.
Why Explore Mars??????
For thousands of years, people have gazed into the night sky and wondered about the planet Mars. It was an object of particular fascination for ancient astronomers who looked to the heavens for guidance about the past and the future. When they first noticed the fiery red planet, they thought it was a star. But as they continued to study the sky, they discovered that stars appear in fixed patterns and traveled across the sky with predictable path and regularity. Mars, however, and the other "wandering stars" behaved differently. After moving in the same direction for many months, Mars began to move backwards. This apparent backwards movement is how ancient astronomers first discovered the planet.
Speaking at Kennedy Space Center last month, President Obama tried to reassure critics that the administration’s new, scaled-back plans for NASA won’t constitute a deathblow for manned space exploration. “By the mid-2030s, I believe we can send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely to Earth,” Obama said. “And a landing on Mars will follow. And I expect to be around to see it.” Critics such as Dr. Robert Zubrin identify a marked difference in tone between this speech and President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 “We choose to go to the moon” speech. Zubrin is the founder of the Mars Society, an international association committed to furthering the goal of exploration and settlement of Mars.
For Dr. Adrian Brown, a SETI planetary scientist searching for extraterrestrial intelligence, the most obvious benefit of Mars exploration is the advancement of science. “In trying to reach out to the next frontier, we always have to reach out to the limits of our technology,” Brown says. “Just consider the Age of Discovery. We wouldn’t have invented such precise timekeeping and navigational technology if we didn’t need to in order to cross huge expanses of ocean to reach frontiers in Asia, Africa and the New World.” In other words, to satisfy our human thirst for exploration, we’ll have to push technology even further. In the same way that the 20th century space race gave us such innovations as long-distance telecommunications and water filters, the technologies we develop for Mars will affect life on Earth.
In addition, the exploration and eventual colonization of Mars would give humanity the foothold we need to spread to other worlds — a move that cosmologists such as Stephen Hawking identify as a crucial step in the long-term survival of the human race. The red planet is far more than just a catalyst for scientific change or an interplanetary base camp. Mars, says Zubrin, is essentially the "KEY" for determining the prevalence and diversity of life in the universe. After all, Mars once boasted liquid water in great abundance — and water is a crucial component for life. According to Zubrin, if life is indeed a natural, chemical development wherever liquid water, reasonable temperatures and various minerals occur, then why shouldn’t it appear on Mars?
“If we can go to Mars and find evidence of past life, then we will have proven that the development of life from chemistry is a general phenomenon in the universe,” Zubrin says. In other words, life is more common and prevalent than we think. Life on Mars, however, won't come in the form of a typical Hollywood space Alien; if life on Mars is found, it will most likely be in the form of primitive (old) microscopic bacteria forms of life. Such a discovery would change the way we look at the night sky. Every exoplanet (planet in another Solar System) that is not too close or not too far from the central star would be a potential hot spot for extraterrestrial life.
“If life will develop wherever it has a decent planet, it means that the universe is filled with life,” Zubrin says, “And if life is everywhere, it means intelligence is everywhere. It means we’re living in an inhabited universe. This is something that thinking men and women have wondered about for thousands of years, and we can find out the answer to this if by going to Mars.” Wouldn't it be nice to know we are not alone?
We live on a planet that is overrun with life and we look up at the night sky and wonder if there is anywhere else in the universe that is alive. Mars, our next-door neighbor, is tantalizingly similar to the earth in many ways, and so we want to know if life ever arose there. Were the conditions ever right? And if so, what happened? Did life arise and die out, leaving telltale signatures in the ancient rocks, or did life miss its chance on Mars? Is it difficult for life to arise if the conditions are just right, or is it commonplace?
As space exploration continues, additional pieces of the Mars puzzle will fall into place. Yet some people question whether it is worthwhile to study Mars at all. Space missions are extremely expensive, costing billions of dollars every year, but scientists are convinced that Mars exploration is crucial and must continue. That is because Mars is quite similar to Earth, and about 4 billion years ago, when the two planets were formed, they may have been almost identical. Geologists believe there was a time when Mars had a warmer and wetter climate, vast quantities of surface water, and an atmosphere that was much like Earth's. Over the course of its history, however, Mars has undergone such drastic changes that it looks as though it is caught in the grip of a global ice age. Today, the planet's surface is dry and lifeless, its atmosphere is unfit for human life, and its average daily temperature is more bone-chilling than even the coldest place on Earth. What caused these drastic changes? And is Earth destined for the same fate? By continuing to explore Mars, scientists can gain a much greater understanding of the red planet, as well as insight into what the future may hold for Earth. Mars has always been, and continues to be, a planet shrouded in mystery and intrigue. No one knows with any certainty what future exploration will reveal. But with each new mission, and each piece of knowledge that is gained, Mars becomes even more compelling for those who are determined to uncover its secrets.
But even as excitement builds, some wonder: Is Mars exploration a good investment? It certainly doesn't come cheap. It's hard to calculate a total price tag, but over the 48 years that NASA has been launching missions to Mars, Americans have spent a significant sum. The Viking missions alone cost nearly $1 billion - in 1970s dollars. The twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity cost a total of about $1 billion to build and operate as well. Curiosity, as the Mars Science Laboratory rover is known, is over budget at $2.5 billion. Some in the federal government have suggested it's time to roll back the spending. President Barack Obama's fiscal plan for 2013 would cut NASA's funds for Mars exploration from $587 million to $360 million. Proponents insist Mars science is vital for the U.S. More visits to our next-door neighbor could answer lingering questions about Earth's history, reinforce U.S. prestige and get more children interested in science.
It also could bring humanity closer to answering the ultimate question: Are we alone in the universe?
What is MARS Rover and what have they discovered?????
The FIRST MARS Rover Mission: SPIRIT and OPPORTUNITY
Mars Rover is an automated Robotic vehicle which propels
Rolling along on six wheels, these golf-cart-sized rovers can travel more than 300 feet (100 m or length of a football field) a day—and on occasion have gone considerably farther. Navigational and hazard-avoidance cameras help the rovers make their way around. Like all good field geologists, the rovers have excellent tool kits with which to conduct "hands-on" investigations. These tools and other high-tech instruments help the rovers determine the mineral composition of a rock. In turn, scientists back on Earth use that information to study how the rock was formed and if water played a role in its formation. Even with the solar panels fully operational, though, no one expected the rovers to survive a martian winter—after all, winter on Mars offers precious little sun. Ingenious engineers came up with the idea of parking the rovers on hills, their panels angled to catch what little sunlight was available.
TOOLS and INSTRUMENTS
Cameras
Each rover is equipped with a Pancam (short for Panoramic Camera), and each Pancam (contains two digital cameras. Set 30 cm (11.8") apart, the cameras function like left and right "eyes," so we're getting back breathtaking, 360-degree stereo color panoramas from each MER.
RAT
When you picture a geologist out in the field doing research, the one tool that always comes to mind is the trusty hammer. Geologists need to study rocks that have not been exposed to the changing forces of weather. By comparing the internal, untouched rock with its weathered surface, a geologist can often determine the processes the rock has undergone. Appropriately, geologists wanted a tool onboard the MER that could expose fresh, unspoiled rock below the weathered surfaces of samples. A hammer was not accurate or practical for a machine to use, so they invented a better tool: the RAT. No, this is not a rodent. RAT stands for Rock Abrasion Tool. Mounted on a flexible robotic arm, and used to study martian rock and minerals, the RAT grinds away the surface of a rock with two rotating diamond-tipped grinders. The RAT can create holes 45 mm (about 2") in diameter and 5 mm (1/5") deep. It takes about two hours if the rock is tough volcanic basalt, less if the rock is softer. Once fresh rock is exposed, other instruments mounted on the robotic arm can examine and contrast fresh versus weathered material.
Microscopic Imager (MI)
You'd never think of sending a geologist out without a hammer. But the other the geologist needs is a magnifying glass for examining the detailed structure of the freshly cleaved stone. The MER is no different. It, too, has a magnifying glass. It's called the Microscopic Imager, or MI, and each rover has one and is mounted on the robotic arm. This magnifying glass, like RAT is used to examine rock and minerals in greater detail with which places the MI in contact with the rock surface to take pictures.
As of now the Rover Robots have exceeded their goal: They've provided indisputable proof that water once flowed on Mars. Shortly after it landed, Opportunity found ripple marks and layered bedrock, evidence of a shallow, ancient sea. These robots have also made many other unique and important discoveries.
Spectrometer
The red planet is red for a reason. Scientists believe that Mars is an iron-rich world, and the familiar reddish color comes from iron rust. The spectrometer allows scientists to determine what chemicals make up the rock or mineral without having to take the rock or mineral to a fancy laboratory. In other words, it tells scientists what chemicals make up the rocks and minerals on Mars, a very important tool for determining if water once ever existed on mars.
DISCOVERIES
Shortly after landing on the Red Planet, Spirit looked homeward, snapping the first-ever picture of Earth taken from the surface of another planet. While the photo is not as famous as the "Earthrise" image snapped by the Apollo 8 astronauts, it is historic in its own right. In 2005, Spirit managed to film a bevy of dust devils (mini tornadoes) twisting across the Martian landscape. The clip gave scientists a rare glimpse into one of the few active processes still shaping the surface of Mars today.
Among their many firsts, the rovers photographed Earth-like clouds in the Martian sky for the first time from the planet's surface. During its exploration of Mars in 2005, Opportunity stumbled across a basketball-sized rock made of iron and nickel. It was the first meteorite ever discovered on another world. (Opportunity has since discovered a number of others.)
Spirit and Opportunity both discovered plenty of signs that liquid water once flowed across or percolated through the Martian surface long ago. Opportunity found some of the most convincing evidence late in 2011 — a thin, bright white vein of gypsum mineral that was deposited by liquid water billions of years ago along the rim of Endeavour Crater. Gypsum is a mineral that only forms in the presence of water. You might be more familiar with gypsum than you think; gypsum is the white chalky mineral often left behind on faucets and shower heads.This mineral is almost certainly gypsum that was deposited by liquid water billions of years ago, researchers said. "This is the single most powerful piece of evidence for liquid water at Mars that has been discovered by the Opportunity rover," Steve Squyres of Cornell.
In December 2012, mission scientists announced that Opportunity was exploring a special spot on the rim of Endeavour Crater. The area, known as Matijevic Hill, contains clay minerals, implying that the area was exposed to relatively neutral (as opposed to harshly acidic or basic) water long ago. "This is our first glimpse ever at conditions on ancient Mars that clearly show us a chemistry that would've been suitable for life at the Opportunity site," mission principal investigator Steve Squyres, of Cornell University, said of the discovery.
In 2007, Spirit's crippled right front wheel dug a trench in the dirt of Gusev Crater, revealing bright white deposits of pure silica. On Earth, such deposits can only be created by hot water reacting with rocks, so scientists think Spirit stumbled onto evidence of an ancient hydrothermal vent (under ground water system) like those found in the United States' Yellowstone National Park where bacteria and other primitive microorganisms live and thrive. This discovery showed that at least some parts of Mars once had two key ingredients necessary for life as we know it: liquid water and an energy source. The site of these proposed vents could possibly contain preserved traces of ancient Martian life, scientists say. That assumes, of course, that life might once have existed on Mars. No firm evidence for that idea has ever been found, however.Check out the panoramic view below provided by the Mars Rover Robot:
The SECOND MARS Rover Mission: CURIOSITY
The rover launched into space from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Nov. 26, 2011, and landed on Mars on Aug. 5, 2012. Since then, Curiosity has been keeping busy touching, scooping, sifting, cleaning, and analyzing rocks and dirt that have provided scientists with clues about Mars' past. The main goal of the two-year mission was to determine whether the planet once had an environment suitable for life. Curiosity confirmed that to be true after beaming back data including 70,000 images to NASA's researchers. About the size of a small SUV car, Curiosity is truly a sophisticated mobile laboratory with the most advanced instruments ever sent to Mars.TOOLS and INSTRUMENTS
Curiosity sports a number of familiar tools that the first ROVER mission had such as a variety of cameras and a robotic arm. But it’s called a science laboratory because, unlike its predecessors, it can analyze the rock and mineral samples it collects to determine what they are made of, as well as atmospheric samples, using on board test instruments. For example, one instrument (which uses X-ray diffraction and fluorescence) will identify and quantify the minerals in the rock and soil samples. To identify possible signs of primitive life, a combination of three instruments (a quadrupole mass spectrometer, a gas chromatograph, and a tunable laser spectrometer) can identify organic chemicals and compounds including carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. Humans and all life are made of organic (carbon and hydrogen) compounds, these instruments will hopefully confirm the presence of organic "life" material on Mars.
Cameras
The cameras on board the Curiosity rover are the mission scientists’ “eyes” on Mars. Without them, mission scientists would be blind. Cameras show us where the rover is, where it is going, and where it has been. They are necessary to navigate the rover’s trek along the surface, helping determine which sites to visit along the way. Just like the Oppurtunity adn SPIRIT Rovers, CURIOSITY Rover has camera to take video and panoramic pictures of the Martian surface.
Mahli
To a human geologist, the hand lens magnifying glass lens is one of the most important tools to have in the field. Small enough to be carried around the neck, a hand lens helps geologists identify minerals in rocks. The Mars Hand Lens Imager, or MAHLI, provides earthbound scientists with close-up views of the minerals, textures, and structures in Martian rocks and the surface layer of rocky debris and dust.
SpectrometersJust like the older Rover Robots SPIRIT and OPPORTUNITY, CURIOSITY uses a couple on board spectrometers that make up the robot rover’s nose. The spectrometers “sniff out” the chemical composition of rocks and minerals in order to determine what they are made of. RADThe Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) is one of the first instruments sent to Mars specifically to prepare for future human exploration. The size of a small toaster or six-pack of soda, RAD measures and identifies all high-energy radiation on the Martian surface such as protons, energetic ions of various elements, neutrons, and gamma rays. This includes not only direct radiation from space, but also secondary radiation produced by the interaction of space radiation with the Martian atmosphere and surface rocks and soils. If Humans go to Mars, they will be exposed to high levels of radiation and scientists would like to know just how much before we send humans to Mars. Using RAD, we will know just how much radiation the Mars surface is exposed to.Plutonium Power SourceUnlike the older Robots SPIRIT and OPPORTUNITY which ran on solar power, the new Curiosity MARS ROVER ROBOT is much larger and runs on plutonium. Curiosity Robot is about the size of a car and needs a much more powerful energy source. Plutonium is a radioactive element, which means that its atomic nuclei spontaneously disintegrate, releasing radiation in a process called radioactivity or radioactive decay. The power supply is designed to last a minimum of a martian year, which is 687 earth days. With no worries about dust obscuring solar panels or having to practically hibernate during the martian winter when sunlight is weak (which happened to earlier rovers), Curiosity will be free to explore all year long and at a wide range of latitudes and altitudes.
DISCOVERIES
After Landing in 2012, MARS ROVER Robot CURIOSITY has made some important discoveries.
Discovery of an ancient, habitable environment
At Yellowknife Bay, the rover found evidence that an intermittent lake was once present, with fresh water and other chemical ingredients that life requires. The finding of clay minerals, says Gellert, means water flowed in the area at some point in Martian history. Where there is water, their may be life.
Evidence of an ancient stream bed
Curiosity found a rock called a conglomerate—made up of many rounded, small pebbles cemented together. This type of rock forms on Earth when water flows about knee deep. "These show that for an extended time a stream must have been flowing to form these features," said Gellert.
Curiosity measured the natural cosmic and solar radiation on its journey from Earth to Mars. "By measuring the radiation from within a spacecraft capsule, Curiosity was in the same environment that human explorers to Mars will face," said Vasavada. Based on some of the initial findings from the rover's instruments, it turns out that the radiation arriving from both interstellar space and the sun will pose a significant challenge for future Mars astronauts. In just the nine-month voyage to the red planet, Curiosity measured and absorbed more radiation than NASA astronauts are allowed to be exposed to over their entire career; creating a big problem for future manned astronaut missions to Mars. As a result of this finding astronauts visiting Mars will require special suits to protect them from the lethal doses of radiation on mars.
Lack of methane in Mars' atmosphere
Most form of life give off methane as a byproduct. If their is currently life on Mars, the presence of the chemical methane would indicate that thier is in fact currently primitive life on Mars. In the last few years, both Earth-based telescopes and Mars orbiters have seemed to detect methane on Mars—a gas that could be a result of present-day biological activity(life) or signify other non-biological processes. But Curiosity's experiments have so far detected very little methane within Gale crater—in fact, some 600 times less than the amount in Earth's atmosphere. So while it appears that the conditions on ancient Mars may have been conducive to life at one point, today's environment may just be too harsh for life to exist.
Diversity of rocks in Gale crater
Before even getting to the ultimate destination of Mount Sharp, scientists were surprised that Curiosity found diverse types of rocks—from volcanic to mudstones to rocks with cracks filled with mineral veins. Each of these rock types tell the story of a different environment at some point in Mars' past. Scientists expect this rich diversity to increase even more when Curiosity gets to the multi-layered Mount Sharp. "With one habitable environment in the bag, our job becomes to place it in the context of the other geology within Gale crater in order to understand where it fits into the overall evolution of this region of Mars, and maybe even the planet as a whole," said Vasavad. "Ultimately, we'd love to make a fundamental contribution to the understanding of how Mars' climate changed dramatically in its early history."
Finish Early????? Program the MARS ROVER ROBOT below and try to find the rock "Yogi"
If you can find the rock "Yogi" with you8r Mars Robot Rover, please notify your teacher and receive a bonus treat!!!!!!!